Touch the Stars
by FortySeventhLight
Summary: After being injured during a surprise attack, Jacob Carter dreams of a day in the past he plans to change by spending it with his teenage daughter on her birthday. Lots of father and daughter fluff!


A/N: Hello good and dear readers, for I bring you one of my longest one-shots ever! I've actually had it for quite some time, I just never published it besides on Live Journal. Here we have a fic starring the beloved Jacob Carter and his efforts to "make peace" with Sam on her fourteenth birthday. All in all, it's my take on my love for father/daughter sweetness without involving dangerous situations. I sure hope you like this and enjoy the images you receive!

And of course, I don't own Stargate or any of its wonderful characters. Sucks to be me...

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**Touch the Stars**

Explosions were ripping overhead, blasting into the surface and shaking the entire base constantly. Jacob was frantically trying to assist in getting some of the wounded Tok'ra to the Gate so that they could transport to safety, but along the way he became distracted by Re'nal's obstinacy to not leave with the rest of their comrades.

"Re'nal, we ordered the evacuation ten minutes ago – why are you still here in the lab?!" He shouted, angered by her stubbornness.

"I was securing the data on the poison. You know as well as I that if it falls into the enemy's hands, no mercy will be bestowed upon our kind," she replied, just as frustrated with him and his impulsive actions – he never did seem to think ahead too much. "Once the transfer is complete, I will leave."

"No," Jacob demanded, snatching her by the wrist to stop her. "You _will_ leave now and _I'll_ stay here until the transfer is done. You're one of the top scientists and you're a lot more valuable to our cause alive than you are dead."

In protest, she tried to yank her hand away, but his grip was firm and she was forced to submit. "Very well; we will wait for you as long as we can at the Gate, but if you are not there within fifteen minutes, we will have to withdraw from our position and move on."

"Understood," he acknowledged, taking Re'nal's place at the computer, trying to speed up the data transfer as much as possible. "Now will you please get out of here? The longer you delay the less chance you have of getting to the Gate."

"Good luck, Jacob. I will see you soon," was all she said before turning to run down the corridor, meeting up with another small cluster of escaping Tok'ra along the way. Jacob sighed in relief that she was finally getting to a minimal safe distance, because, as he said, she was one of the most valued in minds in their entire race, so losing her to this random unforeseen Goa'uld attack would be a heavy loss, indeed.

As another blast rocked the ground and his footing slipped, he gripped the pedestal tightly, barely noticing the message that informed him of the transfer being complete. Pulling himself back up into a straight position, he hurriedly finished the process by encoding the memory, wiping the computer, then tucked the crystal which contained the poison's formula into his pocket just before another explosion tore at the surface. Upon noticing the ceiling beginning to fall apart, he instinctively started to make a run for the corridor, hoping to get to the Gate before the whole complex crashed down on him, thus barring his one and only escape. But after barely running for a few seconds, more chunks of rock and heavy minerals came apart from the tunnels and collapsed on top of him, rendering him unconscious to what was going to happen next.

"Jacob… Jacob dear, wake up!"

He knew that voice – it was so sweet and loving, and it was one he missed so much. He had to be dead for this to be real. "Laura?"

His wife giggled and prodded for him to open his eyes, her smile a welcoming and beautiful thing to see after so much trauma and danger. "Who else would it be, silly? Now get up! Mark's already started breakfast for Sam!"

Mark… Sam?

Jacob sat up and looked around him, his wife already skittering away to head downstairs to the kitchen, and the room was so bright he started to squint. It was… his old bedroom? This was the same bed he shared with Laura… this was the same house he raised his children in… this was… the past? But how could that be? Just minutes before, he was running from a surprise Goa'uld attack on the Tok'ra base and the last thing he remembered was the ceiling caving in on him. He then came to the conclusion that he was obviously dreaming, and his mind naturally sought out a fairly peaceful memory to focus on. Perhaps this was Selmak's doing, so that his symbiote could have enough time to heal the physical damage done, and still keep the host distracted from the pain in the meantime.

With all this in mind, he proceeded to get out of bed, fingers tracing the familiar rose patterns on the blanket for a moment to reminisce, then he stood up to try and recall his old routines from before… well, from before everything, really. He was surprised by how different it all seemed, even now when it technically wasn't that many years later, but he supposed it was all this Tok'ra knowledge that was hindering him, so he voted to take his time to familiarize himself again with his old lifestyle.

He looked at the clock hanging on the wall, reading just after seven in the morning, and using this as a starting point, he turned to look towards the closet, which then directed his vision at the bathroom just across from him. Ah, his robe – of course. Every dad has one!

He quickly snatched the navy blue robe off of the rack and slipped it on, just then discovering a new appreciation for the soft material he used to take for granted when he was younger. He supposed that these new Tok'ra materials had just toughened him up and made him realize, not to mention value the precious commodities he came across, even something as miniscule as a bathrobe.

"Jacob!" His wife called again, urging him to hurry up with his morning preparations.

"Be there in a minute!" was his reply, now finding himself rushed to recall everything he needed to make this seem like an ordinary day to his family, but something didn't quite seem normal. For one, he used to be a rather negligent father, not eager to spend time with his family no matter the occasion, and since he had changed his ways in the last couple of years, it would be hard to adjust to this former lifestyle again, despite its negative drawbacks. He couldn't just walk right up to his wife, kiss her good morning, then welcome his kids into his arms for the warmest hugs they'd ever had – they would think he had been abducted by aliens and some fake was put in his place.

Which wouldn't be too far from the truth, really.

He would have to act cold and calloused again, something he knew he would regret doing, but he didn't want to arouse suspicion. After all, for all he knew he could have been under Goa'uld influence at the time in reality, and his brain was being picked apart for information on his Tok'ra cohorts. He couldn't risk jeopardizing their safety, not even to just spend some quality time with his family. So with this in mind, he walked out the bedroom door and started to head for the stairs when something caught his eye.

The various drawings and cutouts of planets covered the door just adjacent to him, oranges and blues bringing a surprising amount of color to the simple décor of the home. After a moment of digesting the information, he came to the obvious conclusion - Sam's room.

He had to smile, almost sadly, seeing even now, in her youngest days, how her dreams were already being manifested into aspirations of space travel or something like it. It hurt him to know that he couldn't urge her to dream even bigger, since that would obviously compromise the secrecy of the Stargate program, even if this was just going to be a day or two in his past. And again, he couldn't just suddenly show extreme interest in his daughter's goals, because it would make everyone curious of his behavior, but perhaps he could gradually slip into the fatherly role he had now, as opposed to keeping the old persona he used to have years ago.

Jacob finally proceeded down the stairs, following the smell of bacon and eggs on the stove, and stepped into the kitchen to see the sun peel through the large window in front of their family table. So many memories came flooding back to him, some good, some not so good, and some made him want to turn away and ignore the serene setting. But since this was most likely Selmak's way of teaching him some type of wise lesson, he subjected himself to the emotional torture and took a seat at the table, taking up the newspaper as he usually did.

The headlines made him quirk an eyebrow in surprise; 'Gasoline goes up at the pump again – eighty-four cents!'

Good Lord, he was _old_.

"Hey Dad," his son said from over by the stove, cooking away like a professional.

Jacob looked up from the paper and had to restrain the urge to let his mouth drop open in surprise of seeing his son look so young and innocent again, and as it was typical of him, the father had conveniently ignored him upon entering the kitchen. It was just like before, and he didn't even have to try.

"Morning, Mark. What are your plans for the day?" Jacob replied, turning a page in the paper and then positioning it carefully so as to hide his expressions which would be likely to change constantly.

Mark gave him an odd look, cocked his head to the side and replied, "Nothing, Dad. It's Sam's birthday, so we're hanging out with her all day."

"It's-?" Jacob stopped himself, coughing to quickly cover up his moment of surprise, then recovered just as fast, "Isn't Sam up yet?"

"I thought we'd let her sleep in a little extra today," Laura prompted, walking back into the kitchen with a glorious smile across her face. Jacob was surprised that he hadn't broken down yet from seeing her, as she had been gone for so long, and seeing her again made his heart flutter with an unseen joy. The Sam he knew these days was practically a perfect replica of her mother, and this pleased him greatly, knowing his little girl was following in such graceful and influential footsteps. Her mother would be more than proud to know what their daughter had become over the recent years.

Pretending to seem disgruntled with the response, he put the paper back on the table and got up to go wake his daughter, "Just because it's her birthday, that isn't a good enough excuse to not be up with the rest of the family. I'll get her up."

"Jacob," Laura started to plead, but he held up his hand in protest and started up the stairs again. It was a good thing he had Selmak's healing abilities, otherwise his youth and agility would be down the drain, thus not enabling him to climb the stairs so quickly.

Within mere heartbeats, he was on the second level again and knocked on Sam's door, "Sam. Sam, it's time to get up." When he received no response, he assumed that she was still asleep, so he turned the doorknob and let the door swing open.

He had to try so hard not to smile with utter glee for seeing Sam so young again.

Her dark blonde hair fell down her pajama-clad back, patterns of moons and stars adding a light contrast to her predominantly blue clothing, and her complexion was still as sweet as it had always been with color in all the right places.

"Sorry I didn't answer the door, Dad," she told him, looking at him nervously as she returned to the book in her hands.

Jacob sighed with a small smile and approached her, looking at the book's title quickly before speaking, "Sam, it's your birthday, and you'd rather be up here with your nose in a science book?"

The young girl shrugged, not seeming to care what the day was, in all actuality. "I just got it at the library yesterday and can't put it down. Did you know that-"

Before she could finish, he had snatched the book from her grasp, much to her displeasure, and hid it behind his back. "I know a lot of things, Sam, and I know that your breakfast will be cold if you keep reading the morning away. There'll be more time to read later."

Though she was rather discontent from being pulled away from her learning experience, Sam complied and walked out of the room, Jacob following her, but kept the book. He was already beginning to hatch a plan for later, and this book would be convenient leverage. Allowing a smirk to crawl onto his features, he proceeded down the stairs and back into the kitchen to join his family for the morning meal. As usual, proper thanks was given, and very little was said among them, Jacob reading the paper again, and Mark was mindlessly teasing his sister about random things of little significance, Laura of course being the mediator between the two siblings.

"Did your dad wake you up, Sam? I told him to let you sleep, but he insisted on getting you down here." Laura said before inserting a forkful of fluffy eggs into her mouth.

Sam opened her mouth to reply, but her father spoke ahead of her, "She was reading this," he said, holding up the book for everyone at the table to see – an apparently random, but heavy looking science book containing knowledge far beyond Sam's years.

Mark caught sight of the book, and began to chuckle. "Geek."

In response to his comical insult, Sam shot back, "Dork."

"Nerd."

"Incompetent idiot."

"Psycho alien!"

"Self-centered-!"

"That's enough!" Jacob finally shouted, calling for a 'cease-fire' between his children. This was probably one of his least favorite things about being a parent – having to stop his kids from arguing. "Sam, you're a year older now, so start acting like an adult. Mark you, too."

Silence fell on the four again, and for a moment Jacob thought it was because he wasn't specific about Sam's age that day. He didn't know if she was turning ten or fifteen, because her features didn't really tell him anything. Then he remembered to check the date in the paper in hopes that it would give him better territory to establish himself on.

1982… so she was fourteen today. Seemed reasonable since the Challenger incident occurred just before she graduated high school, thus crushing her aspirations for space flight at the worst possible time. Maybe he could keep her goals set on the stars, but in a different way than she expected…

"If it's okay with everyone…" Jacob started, three pairs of eyes averting from their plates to him, "I had a surprise planned for just Sam today, so after breakfast I'll be taking you, all right kiddo?"

The two children exchanged looks of confusion and surprise, amazed that their father could plan something ahead of time, and Laura was equally astonished by the suggestion. "Well, that's fine with me, but don't you have to work today?"

Uh oh – he had forgotten all about his work situation, and since he was a general in the Air Force at the time, he couldn't just come up with some random excuse to say he was sick and couldn't come in. So while the other three continued to stare at him, awaiting an explanation as to why this was so sudden, he cleared his throat and replied, "Thanks for reminding me. I think I'll go call the base right now to let them know." As he excused himself from the table, he kissed his wife on the forehead; again shocking his family his behavior was so peculiar. He merely smiled at their dumbfounded expressions and left the room in search of a telephone.

A fork clanked onto his plate as Mark spoke, "Is it just me, or is Dad… different?"

Laura, feeling in the dark about this situation herself, tried to smile, as if she didn't' feel anything was amiss. "I'm sure he's fine, Mark. He's probably just happy because it's Sam's birthday – after all, she is becoming a woman now."

"Yeah, and she'll have to start dating that guy Chris she's been rambling on and on about in her diary!" Mark teased, while Sam flared, kicking his leg from under the table, giving her a gratifying "ow!" in return.

Meanwhile, Jacob was rummaging through some papers on one of the small coffee tables, hoping to find something that would remind him of the phone number for his old military base. All he found were coupons that had never been used, a few old cards that had been sent to Laura on her last birthday, and turned face-down was a full sheet of paper that had something on the opposite side. Curious, he turned it over to take in the colorful artwork of his daughter, drawn to look like she was flying in space. Around her were various constellations, stars, and planets which were all labeled accordingly, thus plainly displaying her ever-growing knowledge of the known universe.

Off to the side was written 'To Dad, from Sam', and he sighed heavily; this was another selfless gift from his daughter in hopes that he would be closer to his family. He hated even more now how much he obsessed over his work, rather than spending time with his wife and children, and so even more determined to make sure he made a better memory now, he rushed down the hall to his office. Surely he would have a phone number there.

Bingo! Conveniently displayed on a carefully written list was the number of his chief commander, and though he did find it a little odd that it was the direct number, he recalled that he and the chief were good friends, thus giving him the excuse to have it. He reached for the phone on his desk, dialed the number and waited a few moments until someone answered.

"Hammond," the voice said.

"Hey, George!" Jacob cheered on the other line, happy to hear his old friend's voice.

"Jacob, what can I do for you?" the much younger general replied, equally happy, let alone surprised to get the phone call.

"I need a favor, actually."

"Well, you've more than earned one. You name it, you got it."

Jacob, relieved to hear this, chuckled and spoke, "I need the day off. It's Sam's birthday today, and I have a surprise planned for her."

"It's her birthday already?" Hammond replied, obviously surprised to hear this news. "Why didn't you say anything?"

The already confused father paused, eyes skimming over the photos on his desk, some partially covered with various papers that no longer meant anything to him. Hammond's question did stir something inside him, though – reminding him of just how negligent he was to unintentionally forget his own daughter's birthday. It was a detestable feature he didn't want to boast, so he came up with the best response possible, "Ah, it just snuck up on me this year. She's turning into a woman before my eyes."

Hammond couldn't help but laugh, amused by his friend's uncanny ability to cover up for his inconvenient mistakes, even if they were major or miniscule. "I see, well it's not a problem with me. Like I said, you've more than earned the time off, so spend the day with your family, Jacob. You deserve it. Be sure to tell Sam happy birthday for me."

"Will do, George, and thanks again – I owe you one," Jacob said, thankful that this went a lot smoother than he thought. God bless George Hammond and his soft-heartedness when it came to spending time with family.

"You don't owe me anything. I'll see you tomorrow." Then the two generals hung up, both with content smiles upon their faces, and the plans before them began to take shape.

Jacob began to search through the phone book, looking for the address of the location he had in mind to take Sam to, and after a few minutes of both frantic and calm hunting, he found it. He wrote down the information he needed on a small piece of paper, then tucked it into his pocket for later. If this didn't surprise Sam, he didn't know what would.

He then found his way back into the kitchen to finish breakfast with the others; when he told them that he had been granted the day off, peculiar looks between the two siblings were exchanged, and meanwhile Laura was expressing her glee for the situation.

"This is so wonderful! Sam, be sure to tell your father thank you for what trouble he's going to," she told her daughter with a smile, holding her husband's hand out of pure gratitude.

But Sam didn't seem to share the same happiness her mother did, usually bright eyes turning dark as she scowled slightly from across the table, slowly breaking her father's heart. Jacob watched her expression harden angrily at him, and in a desperate attempt to avoid it, he buried his attention in the newspaper again, not looking her direction as he spoke, "If you're done with your breakfast, why don't you go get ready?"

Restraining a small and well-contained fit, she pushed her chair out, all the while never letting her gaze leave her father's serene figure, and Jacob felt every bit of that anger penetrating his crumbling barrier. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. After all, he was some hard-nosed dad up to this point in her life, so suddenly throwing this out seemed awkward, and maybe even suspicious to her. Still, he felt he needed to do this for her – to show her he cared more than he let on. He wanted her to reach for the stars. He wanted her to touch them.

Breaking him out of his worried state, the loud clank of her plate resounded in his ears, prompting him to look up over the brim of the paper to see her already beginning to wash the dishes as she usually did. He sighed mentally – he didn't want to make her even angrier, but it _was_ her birthday, so he knew she shouldn't be burdened with it today. So he pushed his chair out calmly, taking his plate in hand and walked over to the sink, catching her defiant glare out of the corner of her eye.

"Sam, it's your birthday, let me-"

"I can do them myself," she shot back without looking at him directly. "I do them every day, so what's one more time going to do to hurt me?"

Jacob searched her expression for more details; her brow was furrowed in frustration – disgruntlement for his apparent sudden change of heart, or something completely different. But more importantly, he saw independence hiding behind those sweet eyes of hers, and with respect for her individuality, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You're right, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I know it's something you're used to doing. Can I at least dry them for you?"

She finally looked his way, surprised that he was so soft this morning, unlike the solid father she was accustomed to. What had gotten into him? But the peculiarity aside, she was honestly glad to see this sweeter side of him, and with a quick gesture of her head, she prompted him to take his position opposite of her so that she could pass off the dishes as they were cleaned.

One by one, each fork and glass was washed carefully, but quickly, and was then dried accordingly, to soon after be placed in the cabinets and drawers designated to them. Thanks to the extra help (so kindly provided by a "willing" Mark), the dishes were done in a matter of minutes, thus granting the father and daughter even more time to spend together. Jacob prodded her to go get dressed for the day, tempting her with her new and interesting book, and with a satisfied smirk, she hurried up the stairs to do as she was told, meanwhile leaving the father alone with his wife and son.

"Dad, are you… feeling okay?" Mark had to ask, drying his hands with a small towel.

Jacob turned to face his son and chuckled, "I feel fine – why do you ask?"

Mark shrugged, because he frankly wasn't sure himself of his father's behavior. "Dunno, just thought you seemed out of the ordinary today. Maybe it's me that's sick…"

His father laughed quietly again as Mark then marched up the stairs to get dressed himself, mumbling random and rather incoherent things that eventually faded into nothing once his door was shut. Jacob then looked to his wife, admiring her features for what felt like the first time in ages, when it actually was. Her blonde hair was so perfect and golden, long and just begging for him to touch its soft strands. He almost came to tears he was so taken by her and the beauty he missed so dearly. For a moment, he thought that this was the reality, rather than the dream. He wished so badly that he could be stuck here.

Laura caught him staring and smiled at him, "What?"

"Nothing, just…" he stopped, smiling in return to reflect her own sweet nature back at her. "Just thinking how pretty you are and that it's no wonder all the boys are chasing our daughter."

She laughed, more than pleased to hear his teasing banter that made her remember why she married him in the first place. "And I can think of one woman in this house that's still chasing you after all this time."

"Oh really?" The now happy couple laughed quietly in a short state of bliss as they shared a kiss they had missed having for years. Jacob felt a personal sense of satisfaction already for at least finding himself on better ground with his wife, even if this was just a dream – it would be enough to make a better memory in place of the old one.

"Mom, Dad…" Sam's voice interrupted them in the middle of one of their rare romantic moments. The parents turned, slightly embarrassed as they read her perfectly adorable expression. "…Get a room."

They laughed again as they welcomed their daughter back downstairs, Jacob cocking his head a bit to shoot back with a smart aleck comment of his own, "Well we did have a room until you came and interrupted us, young lady." Sam promptly stuck out her tongue in a teasing manner and marched towards the front door, anxiously awaiting her father so that they could start off their day – wherever it was supposed to start.

As per his usual and mundane routine from what seemed like decades ago, Jacob quickly rushed up the stairs to get dressed himself, then met his daughter with a nervous, but still excited smile. He sure hoped that this would please her as much as he was wishing for, so trying on a new burst of confidence, he opened the door and ushered her through after saying a quick, but satisfactory good-bye to his wife and son. Once outside, his brown eyes widened with both surprise and fascination – his old car! It was such a classic, shining red body and rough, but smooth beige interior, it was an ideal reminder of just how much times had changed. After all, he had been flying cargo ships and other space crafts for the past few years, so this was quite a switch on his part.

When Sam noticed his entranced expression, she waved a hand in front of his face to bring him back to 'reality', "Yoohoo, Earth to Dad! Are you still with me?"

He snapped back in a hurry and had to laugh in spite of himself, "Ready and able! Go ahead and get in." He then urged her to get in the passenger's seat, while he climbed into the driver's side, briefly relishing the smell of his old car and the feel of the steering wheel beneath his fingers. Again, Sam took note of his rather blissful state, but stifled a laugh for his sake; he was obviously reminiscing about something she didn't know anything of – yet, at least.

What Sam didn't know was that in those very same moments, he was recalling _how_ to drive, not necessarily loving the _idea_ that he was about to. Again, he chuckled to himself at the irony of the situation, inserted the key into the ignition, turned it, and proceeded in pulling out of his driveway. Once on the road and feeling confident, he shifted the gears and started down the road into town for his daughter's big surprise.

"We're gonna be a little while in getting there, so here's a little something to do," he said, offering her the science book from earlier.

Though she was surprised by the offer, Sam accepted it and eagerly flipped through the pages to where she last left off, reading with extreme intrigue and fascinated eyes. In the moments that followed, Jacob had to smile every time a page was turned, overjoyed in the fact that his own child was so spellbound by the uncharted universe, a constant thirst for knowledge driving her to learn more about things most people didn't even consider. She would be so brilliant in the years to come, as if she wasn't smart enough at the moment. Even still, just thinking about her future made him feel a little sad for her present state, despite the fact that she was probably one of the smartest kids in the country. This Sam would never be able to touch those dreams she was reaching for because his Sam already had, but at least he could send her mind into a dream that would never end.

Many thanks to her book, Jacob was grateful to it since it kept her distracted enough for him to look around carefully for the building he had in mind to take her to. He remembered passing it several times, but he had actually never ventured into it. Hopefully it would absorb Sam's intrigue and take her into a fantasy world she had only imagined, and with that would come ultimate fulfillment on his part for making his daughter smile like never before.

After many U-turns and stop lights, he found the location that had no doubt sparked Sam's interest at a young age, and after tapping her head a couple times to snatch her attention, he spoke, "Sam, we're here."

Instantly, her gaze was torn from the pages of her book, and the pupils of her eyes seemed to dilate with sheer amazement and joy. "The planetarium! Dad, this is awesome! Thank you so much!" Enthused like a child at Christmas, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, much to his pleasure – the feeling of her petite frame against him reminded him of the many memories he had never made with his only daughter. He wanted today to be perfect, if not for himself, but most certainly for her.

"You're welcome, kiddo. I just hope that it lives up to your expectations," he replied, bare hints of doubt and anxiety strangled in his throat.

"I know it will. I've been wanting to come here for forever, but my science teacher's been getting tired of me bringing it up all the time for a field trip idea." Sam told him – Jacob had to laugh. Yep, sounded like his little girl, all right!

"Well all right then, let's get in there before you damage the car from your excitement," Jacob said within his laughter, Sam giggling in return as she unbuckled herself, then proceeded in stepping out of the car, her father following suit. Once in the warmth of the mid-morning sun, they anxiously strode inside, and were then welcomed by the colorful schemes of planets and nebulas painting the lobby. Sam already felt like she was in Heaven, and she hadn't even gotten to the main exhibit yet.

"Good morning!" the clerk greeted them, a rather large button of the planet Jupiter on her bright blue vest. "Just the two of you today?"

"Yes, ma'am, and may I ask when your next show is?" Jacob replied, pulling out his wallet to pay for their tickets.

"Our first show starts in approximately a half hour, so you're free to look around in the other rooms while you wait," she told him, accepting the ten dollar bill Jacob had given her in exchange for two tickets. "Are you here for anything special, or just felt like coming in today?"

Though Sam tried to skitter away into the next room, Jacob had already snatched her by the shoulders and had a beaming smile stretched across his face. "We most certainly are – today is her fourteenth birthday, and I know for a fact that she just loves space and anything to do with it."

"Oh!" the clerk exclaimed, frantically searching under the counter for something Sam was already dreading. "Then a very happy birthday to you, young lady! And for all birthday guests we have these!" She then pulled out a basket of button pins, each of different planets, and some depicted a few well-known nebulas, and all of them had "It's my birthday!" printed on them. "Go on and choose one to keep, sweetie!"

At first without the desire to take one, Sam figured she didn't have to wear it, and it would make a nice souvenir, so she chose the button of the Horse Head nebula, its intriguing red and black colors always something to turn heads. "Excellent choice!" the clerk beamed happily.

Sam only smiled and admired the button for a few more seconds, when her father began to shuffle her into the next room after thanking the clerk. Once in the grand entry way for the exhibit, Sam's mouth dropped open, enthralled by all of the displays of color and wonder. She immediately ran up to the first display board, drinking in all of the information it provided about the beginning of the space program, even though she knew most of it already. To her, it was far more interesting to read than a comic book, facts of all sorts pouring into her brain like water gushing out from a broken dam.

Meanwhile, Jacob was reading the display board opposite of her, which suggested the future of space exploration, how Man had dreams of traveling to the other planets of their solar system, and even beyond. He had to smile once again at the irony that just a mere decade or so later Man achieved that goal, and had procured allies (and enemies) of far greater intelligence than they could ever hope to surmount. The aspirations of the human race were most definitely Sam's inspiration, he had to muse.

His gaze wandered to his right, another room beckoning for him to enter – it was dark, considerably smaller than the one he was in at the moment, but on the wall just before the entrance was a button that begged for him to push it. Glancing over his shoulder at Sam, still finding her reading up on all the information offered to her, he proceeded in giving the button a push to be amazed by the sudden change of décor in the room beyond. Restraining his eagerness for Sam to see what he was seeing, he waited for it to end and return to its normal state, and once the brief show was over, he looked to Sam with a smile.

"Hey Sam, over here! There's something I want you to see!" he called to her, her ponytail instantly whipping behind her as her head snapped to face him. "Come on!"

Though she was content where she was, she hurried over to him, a look of curiosity on her features. "What is it, Dad?"

"You'll see, just go inside that room, okay?" he told her, ushering her inside.

With a shrug of her shoulders, she stepped into the dark room and waited in the center for something to happen. Once he was sure that she had no idea what to expect, he pressed the button again and watched her expression turn from slight anticipation to intense excitement. Her face practically lit up with elation as the holographic images of planets, stars, nebulae, and even galaxies appeared before her, the bright colors sparkling in her youthful eyes that were wide in pure wonder.

"Dad… this is amazing! Look! There's the Egg Nebula, and over here's the Cat's Eye… oh wow! The Pleiades! It's just like in the pictures, only better! It's beautiful!" Sam exclaimed, running from one end to the other to point out the various astronomical landmarks she recognized.

Jacob had to admit they were breathtaking to behold, even after all he had seen in space himself, and it amazed him that after visiting literally dozens of planets, these simple, and even feeble little holographic projections of what Man knew existed were enough to make his heart miss a few beats. And of course, Sam was pleased beyond imagining, still sputtering out names of the star clusters she knew from studying so hard in every science book she could find. It was more than enough to make Jacob feel like he had finally made a good choice.

But then the lights went off again, leaving Sam in the dark, and though he couldn't see it, he could tell she was pouting in disappointment, so he pressed the button one more time, happy to see her face brighten again with joy. As if to thank him, she giggled and began to spin around in circles, basking in the projected beauty of the universe, much to her father's delight. It reminded him of when she was a little girl; she'd blow bubbles, then run straight into them, spinning about as they fell around her, and it wasn't until just a few years later that she began to wonder what a bubble was made of – that's when her child's play seemed to end, Jacob realized.

Her youth left her that day, and a scientist replaced that which he loved so dearly.

However, he loved the scientist just as much, if not more, because she had the hunger of mind to look deeper than what was on the outside – she would dig beyond the shell and see what it was made of. Its composition would fascinate her to no end, and as long as it made her happy, Jacob was happy. He loved his little girl, no matter who or what she was.

And still, she continued to spin, ignoring the only set of eyes watching her; eyes that she knew wouldn't judge her or tease her – too much, at least. Amidst her twirls, the button she had been given earlier flew from her grasp and clattered onto the floor. Jacob instinctively bent down to pick it up, and when his eyes turned up, they took on a whole new shade of brown – _his_ Sam stood looking upon him with the most exuberant smile comprehensible, love radiating from her eyes like sparks flying out of an overcharged circuit.

Jacob felt as if his heart was going to overload he was so thrilled to see her look so happy, for lack of a better term in his mind. Long blonde hair was now gone and was replaced with much shorter strands, light green eyes had turned into deep jade, and her height had increased, now at eye-level with her father. But the most noticeable change in features was when she spoke.

"Thanks, Dad. I love you."

Awestruck and suddenly feeling his throat go dry, he tried to comprehend what was going on – was he dreaming again, hallucinating, or worse? He didn't want to feel tricked, but her expression was so loving and sincere that he had to take it to heart. Perhaps this was Selmak yet again, reminding his soul mate of what he did have, and that was the love of his daughter, both young and old.

"I love you, too, Sam."

With the love of her father pushing her forward, she left her dance in the stars to touch them instead.

* * *

A/N: And there you have it, a sweet and picturesque ending for my favorite father/daughter duo ever! If you liked it, please leave a review, and if you didn't, well... I'm sorry for wasting your time. lol Cheers!

_47thlight_


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